Port your number into Google Voice

About porting your number into Google Voice

Number porting is a feature in which your existing mobile number will become your Google Voice number. It allows you to take advantage of the full set of the Google Voice features like, one number to ring all of your phones, online voicemail, and more.

Remember, if you do not want to port your existing number, you can always choose a free Google Number upon set up of your Google Voice account. Or, if you’ve already created a Google Voice account, simply click on the Phones tab of your Settings, and select the link to Get a Google Number.

You will still need carrier service (Sprint, T-Mobile, Cricket, etc.) to receive calls on your mobile phone.

What you need to know before you port your mobile number to Google Voice

There is a one time $20 fee to port your number.

Your mobile phone service plan will be terminated when you port your number to Google Voice and your carrier may charge you an early termination fee. You may also experience disruptions in sending and receiving text messages for 5 business days or more, depending on the carrier from which you are porting to Google Voice.

Once porting is complete, you will not be able to receive calls to your mobile phone until you complete the following steps:

Google Voice is not a mobile phone service provider, so you must setup a new mobile phone service plan (with your existing carrier or a new carrier) and request a new number.

Once you’ve secured a new mobile service plan and a new number, you will need to add this new number to your Google Voice account as a forwarding phone. Learn how to add a forwarding phone

You should not cancel your mobile service plan before porting is initiated. You will need your phone to be able to accept calls in order to complete the porting verification process.

If you already have a Google number on this Google Voice Account, it will be replaced by the number that you wish to port and will be completely removed from your account 90 days after porting is complete

How to port your number into Google Voice

If you already have a Google Voice account visit your Settings and select Change / Port under your Phones tab. If you are new to Google Voice you may immediately see a pop-up asking you to select the type of account you want.

Select I want a new number.

Type your mobile phone number and then click Check for available options.

Select Port your number.

Select the checkboxes under “Things to understand before porting your number to Google Voice”.

Click Next: Phone Verification.

Follow the prompts to verify your phone number.

Enter your account information and then select Next: Confirmation.

Confirm your transaction and then select Next: Checkout.

Checkout with Google Wallet.

Once, you’ve completed the Google Wallet transaction, you’ll receive a few emails with updates and further instructions.

You will receive an email confirmation once the porting process is complete.

Please note that your mobile phone service plan will be terminated and your carrier may charge you an early termination fee (Note that your service provider may not inform you that your contract is being terminated, what the fee is and how to start a new line of service.) You may also experience disruptions in sending and receiving text messages for up to 3 business days.

Also, you will not be able to receive calls to your mobile phone until you complete the following steps:

Google Voice is not a mobile phone service provider, so you must setup a new mobile phone service plan (with your existing carrier or a new carrier) and request a new number.

Once you’ve secured a new mobile service plan and a new number, you will need to add this new number to your Google Voice account as a forwarding phone. Learn how to add a forwarding phone

In order to continue to receive calls on your mobile phone, you will need to contact a carrier to get a new mobile number and service plan. (Example carriers are AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Alltel.)

If you would like to take extra steps to try and prevent phone service disruption on your mobile phone during the porting process, try one of the following options below. However, please note that any of these actions may incur fees or new contract agreements from mobile carriers. Be sure to discuss these with your carrier to insure against any unexpected charges.

Keeping service with your existing carrier: Prior to initiating the porting process, contact your carrier and add a second mobile number to your existing mobile phone account. As soon as this second number is added to your account, go to voice.google.com, click on the gear icon, click Voice settings and under Phones add this new, second number as a forwarding phone.

Getting service with a new carrier: Prior to initiating porting, contact a new carrier and select a new phone plan and number. As soon as this number is setup, add it to your Google Voice account as a forwarding phone.

Once your new mobile number is established on your account, you have to set it up as a forwarding phone on your Google Voice account. To add a forwarding phone, log in to Google Voice, click the gear icon on the right side of the page, and click Voice settings. Then, click the Phones tab and add the number you want to forward your calls to.

Once you've completed the number porting process, both your original Google number and your newly ported number will appear in the Phones tab for three months. Calls to your old number will continue to forward to your Google Voice account for 90 days, giving you time to tell your contacts about your new number. At the end of the 90 day period we will email you with a list of contacts who are still using your original Google Voice number so that you can update them.

However, if you wish to permanently keep your original Google Voice number as a secondary number you can do so for a one time fee of $20. All calls and text messages to your original Google number and your new number should still reach you. However, your primary Google number (the number that was ported in) is the only one that will display on the caller ID when you make calls or send text messages. You can access this option by going to the Phones tab in your Voice Settings.

If you wish to keep your original Google number as a secondary number you must claim it within 90 days of porting your number. After 90 days the number will no longer be tied to your account and you will no longer be eligible to keep it permanently.

You can discuss your issues with other users in our Help Forum, but we encourage you to reference the above FAQ. If you have billing issues with your $20 number porting purchase, please seek help from Google Wallet.